Point Of Extinction
by ramen.scurge
Summary: Good boy. Confused girl. Bad boy. Life is full of decisions but this one could kill. Who said being friends with warlocks easy?
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Covenant: Point of Extinction  
Author: ramen.scurge  
Rated: T for Teens  
Note: I'm a sheep. Forgive the lack of updates of Shooting. I need some time to get that in order before we move ahead. I was cleaning out my closet and I found my Covenant DVD. I decided to do one of those insert things so I hope you'll forgive me if it totally sucks. I'm not to so good with stuff like this. Any who, I'm adding my own personal touch to the so … I hope you guys aren't totally unsatisfied with it.

-

_No one really knows how the Power came to be. _

_Not even the Book of Damnation recorded its beginnings. But those who mastered it have always been hunted. _

_In the middle of the 17__th__ Century, many escaped the brutal Witch-hunting in England and France by coming to America. _

_As the brutal persecution of those with the Power spread throughout Massachusetts, the families of Ipswich formed a Covenant of silence._

_And for 300 years, it has kept them safe._

Until now … 

-

**_The Dells, Ipswich …_**

Panda rammed her hands into the pockets of her black blazer as Kate and Sarah danced and laughed closely together, her eyes scanning the crowd for no one in particular. It was a surprisingly warm nigh in Ipswich and the students of Spencer were taking full advantage of Mother Nature's grace. A party had been set up at the Dells, a sort of initiation into the new school year that promised many new parties, just like this one, to come.

At least that's what the populace hoped for.

"So give me the scoop, guys, who's here?" Sarah asked, drawing Panda's attention from the crowd.

The dark haired girl huddled closer to the pair and followed Kate's almost teasing gaze only to find her eyes glued to something she didn't find worthy of her time. He was lanky, a busty red head hanging scantily off his arm. His curly brown hair fell around his face in waves, accentuating his eyes and cheekbones. The letterman jacket was an obvious give away to his person, an added feature to the stereotype he loved to play into.

Kate and Panda turned Sarah around; Panda pointing at the top of one of the farthest hills where a slew of club lights peeked over its head.

"Okay, first thing you have to know is that Aaron Abbott is a prick; treats girls like dirt." Kate informed as she jerked her head in the direction of the curly haired boy. "Ask Panda, she knows …"

Sarah looked over at Panda, her face scrunched up at the very mention of his name. She looked as though she was about to open her mouth and ask about the story behind that face, when her pale blue eyes caught something behind the dark haired girl.

"Who's that?" she asked, jerking her head in the direction of whatever had caught her eye. Panda turned around.

"New guy." Kate answered.

"Oooh, he's looking over here." Sarah cooed.

Panda couldn't help but smile at the small girl's giddiness as she squinted her eyes, trying to pin point exactly who she was talking about. People kept gyrating their bodies in her line of sight but as soon as her path cleared and recognition hit, she laughed softly.

"That's Chase," she said, sending a small wave in the new guy's general direction. He waved back, a smirk pressed into his handsome features.

"You know him?" Kate asked, mischief evident in her voice, as she nudged Panda lightly with her elbow, her dark eyes set intently on the mystery boy.

Panda cleared her throat. "Totally," the corners of her lips tugged. "We've got most of our classes together plus he's got my old dorm room. I was clearing out when he got here and you know me; if there's anything to trip over in a three-foot radius, I find it. I gotta say I was a bit surprised he didn't go nuclear when I accidentally emptied my fish tank all over him," she chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck as a flood of colour washed over her face. Kate rolled her eyes. "What?"

Sarah laughed, linking her arms with Panda's. "Kate just finds it mind blowing that your clumsiness around the opposite sex is a hottie magnet." Panda's blush intensified. Sarah's laughing toned down into a light giggle. "Aw, don't worry, Panda, I think it's cute."

Panda looked over at the perky blonde. "Please. It's not cute. It's no wonder T-"

"They're here," Kate interrupted. The look of sheer awe that surfaced on the dark skinned beauty's face never seemed to waver as she tugged at Sarah's sleeve, drawing both her and Panda's attention.

Panda turned around, her face splitting into an ear-to-ear grin as four tall boys made their way down a nearby dune. Each silhouette was unique; the four of them together parting the sea of blissfully crunk students. Her heart somersaulted in her chest as her eyes landed on the smallest of the silhouettes, her hand tightening around Sarah's arm.

"It's about time …" she breathed.

Sarah looked at Kate at then at Panda, their expressions almost identical. "Who are 'they'?" she asked, her brows wrinkled in confusion as she peered at the handsome prep school boys with unmasked curiosity.

"The Sons of Ipswich." Kate smiled, her eyes lighting up at the longhaired boy smiling suggestively at her.

Panda felt her stomach tighten as they approached. She released her tight grip on Sarah's arm; the blonde girl was polite enough not to complain, and made a beeline for the smallest silhouette, ignoring the tall dark haired boy moving toward them.

"Hey, Kate," he greeted with some uncertainty as he turned his head back and eyed the small dark haired girl, the smallest silhouette struggling to hold her up. It seemed she'd jumped on him and was set on not letting go.

"What took you so long, Baby Boy?" Panda asked as she planted a loud, wet kiss on the dark haired boy's lips, his eyes wide with surprise. She watched with some amusement as his face turned a pretty shade of red and mumble something inaudible under his breath. "What? I didn't quite catch that …" a chesire grin crawled onto her lips as she tightened her legs around his waist.

The dark haired boy sighed as he slipped his hands under thighs despite his disapproval of her behaviour. "Do you have to do this every time we see each other? I mean we've only been apart for like, two hours. Can't we just hug each other like every other normal couple on planet and then be done with it?"

Panda cocked her head to the side, her grin melting into a soft smile. "I missed you t-" a set of warm, firm hands smacked violently against her behind, her body pressing more firmly into Tyler's. The blue-eyed boy stumbled, nearly falling in the process. Panda turned her head and found Reid smirking at her with unmasked delight. "Reid!" she snapped.

The blonde puckered his lips at her, sending Tyler a teasing look in the process before he turned on his heel and joined the brood not too far ahead. Panda sighed and shook her head before facing Tyler. His face was now a violent shade of red and she could feel his knees shaking.

"Tyler? What wrong?" she asked, concern high in her voice.

Tyler seemed almost hesitant to answer. "I …" he looked up at her with apologetic eyes. "You're a bit heavy …"

Panda chuckled and planted one last kiss on the blue-eyed boys lips before untangling her legs and soundly dropping to the floor. She grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers. "Come on," she urged as she began to drag him toward the rest of their huddle.

Tyler gave her hand a small squeeze as they approached the group. "I thought we agreed that I would wear the pants in the relationship," he grumbled. Panda squeezed his hand back. "Yeah, yeah."

When they reached the huddle of teens, Panda was unsurprised to find Caleb and Sarah flirting, a wounded Reid not too far behind them. She smirked, unable to help herself as she planted her hand on Reid's shoulder. He sent a scowl in her direction, which earned him a motherly pinch cheek from the dark haired girl.

"Suck it up, Blondie, there are other fishette's in the-"

"Hey Caleb." Kiera had somehow sauntered her way over to Caleb, manoeuvring herself in-between Sarah and the dark haired boy. Caleb returned her greeting with some uncertainty. "How was your summer?"

Panda sighed, dropping her head against Reid's shoulder. "Here we go …"

Reid seemed to have gotten over his loss. "Ten bucks says Caleb picks Kiera over Sarah. Golden Boy doesn't have it in him to let her down."

Panda chuckled as she grasped Reid's hand in hers, giving it a small shake. "You're on."

Tyler looked down at his girlfriend, mild disapproval surfacing in his bright blue eyes. "Panda, do you even have ten bucks?"

"No, but you do." The dark haired girl deadpanned, her attention focused on the scene in front of them, Reid just as captivated. Panda slid her hand out of Tyler's and slowly started moving toward the confrontation.

It seemed Caleb wasn't being too polite.

"Why don't you give it a rest, Kiera?" He said as he rubbed his jaw, probably in an effort to keep from knocking the red head out.

"Why don't _you_ give it a rest?" Aaron materialised in front of Caleb, pushing himself into the taller boy's face.

Caleb sized Aaron up, his eyes almost teasing. Panda took this as her cue and weaved herself in between the two boys' much to Tyler's protests. She gripped onto the edge of Caleb's blazer, silently pleading with him not to start a fight. "We don't want any trouble."

"You posers make me want to puke!" Aaron's friend, Matt, spat from behind the curly haired boy, his fists clenched tightly at his sides, ready for any sudden moves from their opposition.

"Is that right?" Reid asked as he tried to force his way into Matt's face, his body language signalling that he was ready for anything and everything they were willing to throw at him.

"Hey, hey just let it go …" Caleb said, putting an arm between Reid and Aaron.

Panda braced her Converse against the soft ground, nearly stumbling from Reid's attempts, and looked up into Aaron's heated green eyes. She sucked in a breath and held it for all it was worth as she spoke. "Come on, Aaron. We all came here to have fun. Whatever's going on between you guys can wait till Monday, all right? Like Caleb said, we don't want any trouble …"

Aaron smirked down at her, amused at her attempt to play diplomat. He looked up at Caleb, something fierce sparking in his eyes, something Panda didn't like. "Of course you don't, baby," he smiled snidely. "but I think Caleb owes Kiera an apology."

Before Panda could retort, Caleb spoke up. "Actually," he started. "I think its Kiera," he pointed at the red head. "that owes Sarah the apology."

Aaron looked back at Kiera and before anyone could make a move, he shoved Caleb back. Panda ducked just as his arms sprung up, her eyes wide with surprise as a small squeak escaped her lips as she stared up at a furious looking Aaron.

Panda could feel Caleb tensing behind her, his fists clenched tightly at this side as he rolled his neck, ready to fight. Aaron made a move to shove Caleb against despite the fact that she was standing there when someone else intervened.

"Whoa!" Chase placed his hands on Aaron's chest and gave him a small push backward. He looked past Aaron at Kiera, the red head somewhat smug. "You were being kind of bitchy..."

Panda felt Caleb once again tense behind her but this time it wasn't because of Aaron. She felt her chest tighten, felt herself get pulled back by a pair of strong arms as Matt suddenly vomited all over Aaron and his letterman jacket. She vaguely heard the DJ announce that the cops were on the way to the Dells.

As soon as people where moving, Panda looked down and found her hand in Chase's. He pulled her along trying to keep pace with the rest of the group as they made their way out of the large ditch area. In a matter of seconds they were in the forest, searching for the people and cars they had arrived with.

"Need a ride?" Caleb asked, looking over at Kate and Sarah. He assumed Panda was close by and knew his offer applied to her as well.

"No, Sarah drove us out here." Kate replied, slightly out of breathe as they continued walking.

"I'll see you back at the dorms?" Pogue asked, looking down at his girlfriend.

"It's getting late, I'm just gonna crash." The dark haired girl replied, leaning up and catching her boyfriends lip with hers in a short loved kiss much to Pogue's dislike. "Call me in the morning?" she smiled, leaning against his shoulder as they continued through the forest.

Chase looked away from the four teens ahead of them and down at Panda. "You sure were brave back there, taking on that big bad bully all by yourself." he smirked, releasing her hand as they trailed behind Caleb, Sarah and Pogue. He could feel the heat that radiated from her cheeks at his comment and relished in the satisfaction of how easy it was to make her blush.

Panda smiled, ramming her hands into her pockets. "All in a day's work for your friendly neighborhood undercover dork." She joked, looking ahead of them. "Come on," she said, nudging Chase lightly with her elbow. "Sarah's our ride home."

The pair caught up with Caleb, Pogue and the girls, Panda jogging over to Sarah while Chase stayed behind with Caleb.

"Nice going back there." Caleb said, looking over at Chase while still keeping up with Panda and Sarah. "Caleb." He added, eyeing the new guy.

"Chase." He returned, amusement evident in his voice as he gave a light chuckle. "Thought that guy and I were about to go at it! His friend's puking sure came at an opportune time."

"Didn't it though?" Reid smirked from behind them, earning a very annoyed eye roll from Tyler.

When they reached the cars, the group separated. Panda, Sarah, Kate and Chase piled into Sarah's car while the remainder of the group piled into Tyler's. The world seem to move fast before Panda's eyes, maybe it was the fact that Aaron had almost killed her with his fist, but before she knew it, they were moving, heading back toward the school.

---

_**Spencer Academy …**_

"See you Panda," Kate whispered as she enveloped the smaller girl into a hug. "Night, Chase." She waved before she and Sarah disappeared into their room.

"I'd watch myself if I were you." Panda warned out of the blue, ramming her hands into the pockets of her blazer as they made their way down the empty hall.

"Sorry?" Chase asked, looking down at the dark haired girl.

"You heard me," she spun around as they continued walking down the hair, the hazel-eyed girl walking backward and she glared up at him with purpose. "Pogue and Kate have been going strong for two years now and I'll be damned if they break up because of some new guy who already thinks he's one of us." She couldn't stop the worlds from coming out of her mouth.

"Excuse me, crazy girl I just met who thinks she knows me … but _Kate_ invited _me_ out. Pardon me if I don't exactly see how that makes me a home wrecker." Chase defended, his eyes narrowing slightly at the dark haired girl.

"Please, I know your type. I used to be your type … and believe me when I say these boys aren't afraid to fight for what they want. And you know the phrase 'you mess with one of us you mess with the rest of us'? I think that goes without saying. You may be cute, charming and have the nicest ass I've ever seen but I'm onto you." Panda was definitely drunk.

Chase quirked an eyebrow, his annoyance dissipating. "You think I have a nice ass?" he asked with slight amusement.

"Just remember what I said." She grunted and turned around, stopping both of them dead in their tracks. She planted her hands firmly on Chase's chest, a too cheerful smile appearing on her face. . "I may not look it but I pack one Hell of a punch. It doesn't hurt that the Provost is my grandfather either. So I'd think real hard before I make my next move because who knows, it could be your last."

---

The Covenant © J. S Cardone


	2. Chapter 2

---

Clinging to not getting sentimental  
Said she wasn't going but she went still  
Likes her gentlemen to not be gentle  
Was it a Mecca Dobber or a betting pencil?

---

_**Panda's Room, Spencer Academy …**_

"_Gimme gimme more, gimme more, gimme gimme more. Gimme gimme more, gimme more, gimme gimme more . . ._"

Panda groaned at the screeching of her cell phone. Throwing the covers off she stretched her petite limbs; a few grunts escaping her lips before she reached back under the pillow and retrieved her cell phone. She squinted at the screen, _unknown number_ flashing violently in her tired eyes.

"Hello?" she croaked, answering the phone.

"_Open your door_."

"Excuse me?" she asked as she forced herself into a sitting position, her knees pulling up her chest. The hazel eyed girl peered at her door as though she expected someone to come bursting through any second. Her forehead creased in uncertainty. "I think you have the wrong number."

The voice on the other side of the line sighed. "_Panda, open your door. It's Chase_."

"Chase, Chase, Chase … oh! Chase!" The dark haired girl palmed herself in the forehead as she rolled out of bed, her hand searching out a pair pants. "Sorry about that," she mumbled into the receiver as she tugged on the drawstring of one of Tyler's grey track pants. "I'm obviously not a morning person."

Panda reached the aged door of her room and rattled the handle before giving it a mighty tug. Chase stood in the doorway with his phone pressed to his ear, a cheeky smirk flirting with his lips. His eyes moved from her messy rat's nest, over her crumpled Rolling Stone's shirt, down to the extra baggy pants and her bare feet. He finally looked up and smiled.

"Obviously." He snapped his cell phone shut. Panda did the same with a roll of her eyes. "Can I … come in?"

The dark haired girl stepped aside as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, shutting the door behind the taller boy as he passed through the threshold. Her eyes settled on Chase's back, watching with curious eyes as his head moved around the room, taking in the dirty laundry, empty beer bottles, old pizza, overdue DVD's and many other unmentionables. Eventually he turned to face her.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his hands finding their way into his pockets.

"Well …" Panda started. "I wondering why the guy I threatened last night is in my-"

"No, silly. I mean today. What are you doing today?" Chase interrupted. He looked down at the watch on his wrist. "It's already noon so I think it's safe to say whatever plans you had for the day are spent. If you hurry, we can still make the brunch special at Donatello's …"

Panda loved Donatello's. "I …" somehow this didn't feel right. "I was up late last night marking peer tutoring assignments. I don't have the brain capacity to function on a normal human level; I'd be no fun for conversation …" Chase gave her an indescribable look that made her chest tighten with guilt. "I … can't think of any more excuses."

"How long do you need to get ready?"

_**Fifteen minutes later …**_

Panda stepped out of the small bathroom clad in a pair of tight skinny leg jeans, a plain black t-shirt and a pair of red Chuck Taylor's. Her semi long brown hair was tied in a high, spiky ponytail above her head; her straight bangs seemed to make her black outlined eyes stand out even more. The dark haired girl tugged at the sleeve of her t-shirt, Chase's eyes drawing to the Lenore tattoo on her right arm.

"That was fast …" Chase poked from his seat on her unmade bed. "Superman would be envious."

Panda sniffed as she plucked her sunglasses off her nearby bookshelf. "Yes, well, there isn't much to primp and make proper," she jammed her hands into the pockets of her jeans, her head tilting to the side as her lips pursed. She eyed the dark haired boy on her bed. "Are you going to sit there all day or are we going to get something to eat?"

Chase pulled himself off her bed and stretched. "Touchy …" he mumbled with sigh. "You want to take your car or mine?"

Panda's purse turned into something of smirk. "Do you even have to ask?"

"Just checking," Chase held his hands up in defence as Panda manoeuvred past him.

The dark haired girl snatched her car keys off the hook near her door. She felt Chase squeeze by her and stumble out into the hallway before she closed her door behind her. Turning to Chase, she stuffed her car keys into the pockets of her jeans and nudged him into falling into step with her as they made their way down the hall, toward the parking lot.

"So …" Panda started. "How did you find out about Donatello's?"

Chase shrugged. "I spotted it on my way into town …" Panda looked up at him with disbelieving eyes. He sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get by with such a generic and quick answer. "When you cleared out of your old room, you didn't exactly take everything with you. There was a black shoebox under the computer desk and I … I accidentally, maybe on purpose, dumped it out onto the floor."

"My menu box."

"Your menu box." Chase repeated. "You're not mad, are you?" he asked, his tone hopeful.

Panda smiled. "I'm not mad," she turned on her heel so she was walking backwards. "It just means you're paying for my brunch." She reached up and pinched his soft cheeks. "Better make sure you've got daddy's credit card, Collins, I've got the appetite of a sky bison."

"I like a girl with a big appetite," Chase replied making no move to remove Panda's hand.

"I'm sure you do."

≈

_**Donatello's, Town …**_

They reached the school parking lot in a matter of minutes and hopped into Panda's blue VW bug. The drive into town was quiet; the two acquaintances content enough just being in each other's company. When they reached Donatello's, Panda parked in one of the spots labelled staff and assured Chase that it was all right when he started to get antsy about getting towed. They headed inside, grabbed a table and patiently waited to be served.

"Finally decided to pay an old man a visit," Panda looked up into the watery eyes of Donatello, his cracks lips creased into a grateful smile. "It's good to see you again, Priscilla." He placed his shaking hand over Panda's. The dark haired girl blushed. "Where's that handsome young man, Tyler, I think his name was, who's always with you? Don't tell me you dumped him?" He looked over at Chase who was grinning lopsidedly. "Priscilla …"

Panda shook her head, looking over at Chase for help. "No, Donny, I didn't dump Tyler. We're still together, happier than ever." She used her free hand to motion to Chase. "This is Chase Collins. He's new at Spencer. We're just having brunch together … as _friends_."

Donatello looked at Panda over the top of his horn-rimmed glasses. "That's what Anna said to me before she left me for the bus boy …" He saw the dark haired girl's face fall and lifted his hand off hers. Pulling a pad of paper and pen out of his pocket, he smiled as his eyes moved over the pair. "But I know that you are not Anna … so. What will it be today?"

"I'll have a cup of coffee, an order of home style waffles with some vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries," Chase perked up.

"Are you ready, Chase?" Panda asked, fingering the top of the menu. The dark haired boy nodded as she looked up at Donatello. "Alright, Donny. I'll have the brunch and breakfast special with an order of home-style waffles, a bowl of fruit loops, some toast and a large cup of coffee." Chase's eyes widened. She wasn't kidding.

Donatello looked down at Panda with disapproving eyes. "Ah, Priscilla, you insult me! You're eating so little! How am I supposed to feed my children if you go on a diet?"

Panda rolled her eyes. "You're children are all married Donny and working in corporate offices. I think it's save to say they're eating well. Besides," she looked over at Chase, his mouth slightly agape. "I'm just getting started."

Donatello leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to either side of Panda's cheeks. "That's my girl," he straightened out and stuck his pen behind his ear. "I'll be back in a ten with your coffees. Ciao, bella."

"I take it back," Chase leaned back in his chair. "Girls with big appetites scare me." Panda chuckled, copying his stance. "So … what was that about?"

Panda quirked an eyebrow. "With Donny?" she asked. "Him and I go way back. He was friends with my-"

"No. I mean about the whole dumping Tyler thing … why did he think we were going out?"

Panda shrugged. "He's old. He tends to over exaggerate about stupid things." Chase pinned her with a knowing look. "I don't normally come in here alone, unless I'm with Tyler. The guys come in here sometimes too, but Donny knows they're like my brothers. You on the other hand …"

Chase smirked. "I'm flattered I'm hot enough to be mistaken as your boyfriend." He was mocking her; the mischievous glint in his eye was proof of that. "So … tell me about yourself. Where do you come from? What do you like? What do you hate? What's your favourite food? Dreams for the future? Any deep, dark secrets?"

Panda pulled her sunglasses off her eyes and rested them on top of her head. "That's a little intimate for a first encounter, don't you think? Not even my boyfriend knows the answers to half those questions."

Chase leaned forward, folding his arms on the table. "He must not be a very good boyfriend then," his voice was low as he craned his neck forward, his eyes darting around the room, searching, before they steadied on Panda. "You're an interesting girl, _Priscilla_. There's a lot more to you than meets the eye. I intend to find out the answers to my questions one way or another. You can count on it."

Panda met his gaze, her hazel eyes burning. "Didn't you hear, Chase," the smile that crept onto her lips sent a welcomed shiver down Chase's spine. "Curiosity killed the cat."

Chase chuckled. "Well then … it's a good thing I'm not cat." Panda laughed and leaned forward, folding her arms on the table. "What do you like about him?" Chase asked.

"Who? Donny?" Panda scrunched up her face in thought. "Well, for a man his age, he has wonderful sense of hu-" she stopped at the pointed look he sent in her direction. "You're not talking about Donatello, are you?" Chase cocked his head to the side. Panda sighed. "Tyler is … decent. We've been friends since elementary school and I can't see myself with anyone else but him. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"How long have you two been dating?"

"Since the ninth grade. Reid forced Tyler go to Spring Fling with him but he didn't have a date. I was … I hated seeing him getting embarrassed about _stupid_ things like having living up to Reid's _stupid_ reputation. So I decided to go with him. Since then, we've been inseparable."

At that moment, Donatello arrived with two mugs of steaming coffee. He placed each mug in front of its respective owner. "Sorry I took so long; good help is hard to find." His eyes crinkled into a smile. "Your food should be ready in about half an hour. Don't do anything I wouldn't." He eyed Chase before he turned and left.

Panda looked over the rim of her mug, Chase sending an odd look at the older man before he turned back to face her. "So …" he started, wrapping one of his hands around the mug. "Where were-"

"_Well you are the one, the one that lies close to me, whispers "Hello, I miss you quite terribly". I fell in love, in love with you suddenly. Now there's no place else I could be, but here in your arms …_"

Panda looked down at her flashing pocket. "It's Tyler …" she mumbled with a hint of surprise in her voice.

Chase nodded. "Answer it. It's not like you have any hide."

"I don't." Panda pulled her phone out of her pocket and pressed it to her ear, answering it. "Hey, boo," she greeted a she fiddled with the slighlty chipped handle of her coffee mug.

"_Don't 'hey, boo' me_." Tyler sounded irratated. "_Where are you?_"

"Easy with the tone-age there, Baby Boy," Panda's brows furrowed. "I'm at Donatello's with Chase, from last night. What's got your knickers in a bunch?" Panda looked up form her coffee mug, Chase's eyebrow quirked. Panda shrugged.

"_What's got my knickers in a bunch_," Tyler started. "_Is that you were supposed to meet me at front gates four hours ago. We were supposed to drive into the city to go the museum to check out that new dinosaur exhibit you wouldn't stop nagging me about."_

"Fuck …" Panda bit down on her lower lip.

"'_Fuck' is right._" Tyler sighed. "_Listen …_"

"I'm sorry. I totally forgot, like, it completey slipped my mind and I'm a total idiot that deserves a punch in the gut and … and … you're still sitting at the front gate, arent you?" Panda closed her eyes, letting all the air rush out of her lungs. "Please don't be mad …"

"_I'm not mad, Panda … I just … next time you decide to change your plans, let me know before I make a complete idiot of myself_." She could hear the small smile creeping onto his lips. "_So, you eating up a storm?_"

Panda chuckled. "More like a hurricane." She sent a thumbs up in Chase's direction. The dark haired boy pretended to wipe some sweat off his forehead.

"_Good. Just … try to lay off Donny's waffles and ice cream. I wont be able to handle any more of your panther pounces if you get any heavier_."

Panda rolled her eyes. "I should be offended by that."

"_You should, but you're not_." Tyler sighed. "_Anyway, I have to go. I called Reid before I called you. Seems he wants to bond._" Panda heard his car start in the background. "_Just remember we're meeting at Nicky's tonight. And don't forget to bring your car. Love you_."

"Love you too." The dark haired girl muttered before she ended the call and dropped her phone onto the table. A stream of air escaped her lips causing her bangs to float momentarily.

"Trouble in paradise?" Chased asked over the rim of his mug.

"Something like that …" Panda rested her chin in her hand. "Tyler was supposed to take me to the city today to see that new dinosaur exhibit that I'd been nagging about him for months. But with peer tutoring, and friends and you asking me out to brunch I totally forgot and left him sittng in his car in the front of the school for four hours. I'm a loser. I just … it pisses me off how idiotic I can be sometimes."

Chase rested his mug on the table. "It shouldn't piss you off. You're human. Human's make mistakes. Besides, he forgave you right? That's what matters." His eye caught sight of his watch. "Crap."

"What?"

Chase shook his head and drained the rest of his coffee. "I'm supposed to meet Kate and Sarah at the pharmacy in ten minutes."

"Go on then." Panda said as she crossed her legs on top of her seat. "Kate is one girl you _don't_ want to stand up. I'll be fine by myself."

Chase looked uncertain. "I can't," Chase started. "It wouldn't be right." Panda narrowed her eyes at him. "Fair enough." He stood in his seat and dug into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. "Here," he said, sliding his debit card across the table. "My pin number's 1366."

Panda's jaw slacked. "Did you just …"

"I trust you."

"_I_ don't even trust me." She looked up at him. "I was just joking about you paying for my brunch, you know that right? I can't let you pay for all that food, it's like, the same as me mugging you." She pushed the small slice of plastic toward him.

Chase placed his hand over hers, his eyes holding hers. "It's a gift, Panda, from me to you," his squeezed her hand, just a little. "Take it."

"A-All right." Panda swallowed

Chase smiled. "I'll see you at Nicky's tonight, then?"

Panda nodded. "You'll see me at Nicky's tonight."

With one last squeeze, Chase released her hand and turned on his heel, heading out of the small café. As soon as he was out of her vision of sight did Panda realize the rapid beating of her heart and the intense heat in her cheeks.

"Oh boy …"

≈

_**Nicky's, Town …**_

Panda stepped into the small but packed to the brink bar, her hazel eyes scanning it's interior for any sign of a familiar face. With no such luck, she rammed her hands into the pockets of her fitted skinny jeans and pushed her way toward the bar where she proceeded to make herself comfortable on one of the empty stools.

"Hey pretty eyes," Nicky greeted, a warm smile surfacing on his slightly red face as he slid two cokes down the bar. "What's your poison?" he asked, retrieving a glass from somewhere above his head.

Panda laughed softly. "Diet lime coke, please." She ordered as she folded her arms and rested them on the counter, an almost bashful smile flirting with her lips as she watched him pour her drink. But before he handed it to her, he pulled a bright green drink umbrella out of his pocket and set it afloat in her glass.

Panda reached for the glass but as soon as her fingers brushed it's sweaty surface, a large hand covered hers. She looked up into the twinkling eyes of Nicky; the redness of his face intensified as he leaned closer and pushed out the apples of his cheeks. His smile grew more, if possible as the dark haired girl leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to the side of his face. His hand immediately released hers as she pulled back and settled in her seat.

"I still got it," he chuckled softly. "Have a good night, Panda." Panda nodded as she sipped at her drink, waving at Nicky as he hurried toward the other end of the bar to serve the large crowd that was left unattended.

As she continued to sip at her drink, Panda's eyes moved toward to the pool table on the other side of the room. She'd arrived at Nicky's two hours ago and immediately found her way to Tyler and Reid. At first they'd been enthralled by her company but as soon as Aaron arrived it was as though she didn't exist anymore. She went unnoticed for three games before she decided she was better suited elsewhere. That was how she ended up at the bar, searching for a familiar face in an endless see of unfamiliar faces.

"Hey, stranger."

Panda half jerked but smiled at the welcomed voice. "Hey, boo," she nudged Chase lightly with her elbow as she sipped at the remainder of her diet lime coke. "So, where's the rest of the pack? I thought you, Kate and Sarah were spending the day together?"

Chase chuckled and dropped down onto the empty car stool beside her, his hands hooking around the bottom of the chair. "There is a fascinating story behind that. I'm sure you're just dying for the details so I'll put an end to your suffering," Panda rolled her eyes. "It seems Sarah and Caleb have a thing for each other. They ditched Kate and I and ran off somewhere to do 'errands'. Pretty scandalous, huh?"

"That is scandalous!" Panda proclaimed as she fiddled with the top of her paper umbrella. "We should-"

"Panda!" The dark haired girl felt a pair of slim arms wrap around her and pull her into a more comfortable hug. She watched as Chase looked up at Kate, smiling. "I see you two are already getting to know each other." Kate ruffled the smaller girl's hair. "Where's Tyler?" she asked, her dark eyes scanning the packed bar.

Panda's eyes flickered over to the pool table on the other side of the room. "Where do you think?" her hazel eyes narrowed at the blonde haired teen as he slapped her boyfriend a high five. "They've been at it for an hour and a half now. Barely even noticed I was here." Panda turned her eyes back to Kate. "Where's Pogue?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Where do _you_ think?" Panda cocked an eyebrow. "That was my reaction! He's getting his bike fixed … again! That's twice this week."

Panda shrugged. "Boys and their toys? You know how rough they play …"

Kate sighed and leaned her head against Panda's, the corners of her lips tugging. "Then why am I the one paying for it?"

"Because you're rich … in sexy," Panda could feel Kate and Chase's eyebrows rise. A small laugh escaped the dark beauty's lips as she rubbed her forehead against Panda's almost affectionately. "I know that was seriously lame, but it made you laugh! Besides, it's totally true. Pogue probably has some motor oil in his eyes or something. He's a guy … you know how they are."

Chase chuckled. "I should be offended by that, shouldn't I?" Panda sent a cheesy grin in his direction accompanied by a thumb's up. Kate laughed. "How about we find ourselves another seat?" the dark haired boy suggested as he hopped off the barstool and held out his hand toward the two girls. "It's getting a little crowded over here if you ask me."

Panda grabbed her lime diet coke and placed her hand in Chase's, Kate placing her hands on the smaller girls hips as they weaved they're way through the sea of bodies that flooded around them. The dark haired girl couldn't help but look back at the pool table across the room, her boyfriend too engrossed in his game of pool to notice she had left.

When they found an empty table, Panda dropped down into the first empty seat she could find. Chase slipped in beside Kate who had taken to sitting across from the petite girl. "So, what mischief did you kids get up to today? Nothing too troublesome I hope?" Panda asked as she loudly sipped at her drink.

"I never knew you had so little faith in me, Panda," Kate grinned as she looked over at Chase. "We went to pharmacy and re-stocked our rooms. I'm sure you heard about the whole Caleb-Sarah fiasco," Chase turned away, whistling innocently. "Chase I decided to see a movie since there was nothing else to do. And let me tell you, Brad Pitt, pumped, with long hair, in a skirt … hot!" Kate proceeded to fan herself.

Panda chuckled. "I can imagine." She looked over at Chase, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "And what are your thoughts on the movie, Mr. Collins?"

Chase shrugged and laced his fingers behind his neck, leaning back in his chair. "Can't say I disagree …" Panda raised a curious eyebrow at the dark haired boy. "What? The guy's hot. I'm not going to lie."

Kate bit down on her lower lip, her somewhat surprised eyes settled on Chase as she scratched the back of her neck. "I think my gay-dar's malfunctioning," Panda nearly chocked on her drink. Chase rolled his eyes. "Anyway," she cleared her throat. "What did you end up doing today? You at least made an effort to leave your dungeon, didn't you?"

"I …you ... its … I'll have you know that I happen to like my room the way it is, thank you very much," Panda huffed as she fiddled with the straw of her drink. "And yes, I did leave my 'dungeon' as you so delicately put it. You make it sound like I'm some sort of creepy hermit." Kate snorted. "I take offense to that!" Panda looked at Chase. "Tell her, Chase! Tell Kate I'm not a hermit. You took me out today, right? I went willingly."

Kate cocked an eyebrow, curiosity lighting the depths of her dark eyes. "You went out with Chase? I thought Tyler was taking you to that dinosaur exhibit in the city, Lord knows you nagged him long and hard enough." Realization dawned on Kate. "You ditched Tyler?" Kate turned to Chase of whom seemed to be slowly slouching down in his chair.

"I-"

"Who ditched Tyler?"

Panda turned around to see a clean looking Caleb standing behind her, a glowing Sarah standing beside him. She looked down at their intertwined hands and then at their faces. "I ditched Tyler, but it was completely by accident!" She rotated in her seat as the couple took a seat at the table. "Chase asked me to brunch and I totally forgot I had plans with Tyler. I mean really, it was Donatello's. You guy's know I'm a disgusting pig when it comes to Donatello's."

"You didn't have anymore of those waffles with the ice cream, did you?" Sarah asked as she reached over and dragged Panda's drink toward her. The blonde sipped on the drink thoughtfully. "Tyler said-"

"I know what Tyler said," Panda interrupted as she folded her arms over her chest and slouched in her chair, a pout forming on her lips. "You know, I'm surprised he hasn't come out and just told all of you how much I weigh …" a blanket of silence covered the table. Panda's eyes widened as she straightened out in her chair. "Oh my God he has! Tyler told you how much I weigh!"

"It isn't that big of deal," Caleb shrugged. "We don't think any less of you because of it."

Panda folded her arms on the table and let her head drop into the nest of tangled limbs.

"We don't think less of who because of what?" the dark haired girl looked up and back at the sound of Pogue's voice. Her eyes followed him as he maneuvered around the table and stopped beside his girlfriend, his hand resting on the back of her chair.

Panda sighed as she dropped her head back onto her arms. "Oh, nothing," she grumbled. "Just the fact that I'm a complete fat ass and no one bothered to tell me, especially my boyfriend. Oh, wait never mind. He tells me I'm a fat ass all the time."

"O-kay …" Pogue said slowly. Obviously he'd come into the conversation at the wrong time. "Well …" he sighed as he leaned down and planted a kiss on his girlfriend's cheek, hovering over her for a few moments. "Sorry about today, had to get my bike fixed …"

Kate smiled up at her boyfriend. "It's okay, Chase hung out and kept me company!" she looked over at the dark haired boy who nodded acknowledging at her boyfriend.

"I'll just bet he did." Pogue nearly growled. Chase's eye didn't waver from Pogue.

The tension between the two teens was so thick, so tangible you could slice it with a knife like a piece of cheese. Pogue shrugged his jacket off violently as the group sat around watching the exchange between the two teen boys.

Panda decided to break the silence. "You think Nicky'll take pity on me and send some booze my way if I play my cards right?" she asked as she pushed herself out of her seat. "I figure if I become an alcoholic, I won't be heavy anymore because I'll be peeing all the time. It's foolproof!" The occupants of her table stared at her with blank expressions. "What?"

Chase chuckled and pushed himself out of his chair. "Come on, Panda," he motioned as he maneuvered around the table and rested his hands on the dark haired shoulders. "If you want to become an alcoholic, we're going have to get some food in that tummy of yours."

Panda stood up and gripped the back of Chase's t-shirt. "Hmph," she snootily turned her head away from the group who merely laughed at her antics. "At least someone in this place takes me seriously." She used her free hand to give Chase a light push toward the bar. "Come on, Chase. Let's go stuff our faces."

When they reached the bar, Panda waved over one of the tenders and asked for a large coke as well as a basket of cheese fries. She looked over at Chase, his attention focused on the nearby Pogue who seemed to be ordering his own food.

"Hey," Panda tugged on Chase's sleeve, drawing his attention. "Thanks for humoring me back there."

Chase smiled. "No problem." He leaned against the bar. "Thanks for getting me out of there. That guy, Pogue …" Chase gave a small shudder. "I thought laser beams were going to shoot out of his eyes and fry me!"

Panda laughed, shoving her hands into the pockets of her leopard print cardigan. "Pogue's not that bad once you get to know him. In fact, he's probably the nicest out of all of us. He's just protective when it comes to Kate, which I warned you about last night. You're challenging him … in a way …"

"Unintentionally of course."

"Of course, but Pogue's a guy … just like you." She added. "He looks too deep into stuff and overreacts. He'll get over it though once he gets used to you and figures out you're not a real threat. No offence of course." Panda held her hands in front of her in defense.

Chase shook his head. "None taken," he looked over at bar. "Hey, I think you're food's ready."

Panda turned toward an oncoming Paul, one of Nicky's evening tenders. He handed her her food, telling her he would put it on her tab. "Oi," she grunted as she turned back to Chase. "I never got around to asking you how you were finding Ipswich?" she balanced a try of cheese fries in one hand a large coke in the other as she shook her hips to the beat of The Ramones, weaving her way through the crowd toward the pool tables.

"Interesting." Chase responded as he placed his hands on her hips to help navigate her through the crowd. He felt Panda stiffen slightly under his hands. "I've been warned about your infamous clumsiness and had first hand experience …"

Panda turned her head to the side and allowed him to see the grin that was plastered over her face as she continued to move to the music. "Well I'm glad …" she turned to her front again, the pool table getting closer and closer. "… about you finding Ipswich interesting not the fact that you think I'm a complete klutz."

Chase didn't respond but as soon as they reached the clearing of people, his hands dropped to his sides. As Panda made her way to the pool table she couldn't help notice the distance Chase put between them. He didn't have a problem with being close to her before. Was it because Tyler was close and his acts of friendship would be mistaken for something more? No … that couldn't be it. She was sure Chase respected her and Tyler enough no-

"Panda, watch out!"

Panda didn't have time to react to the sound of her boyfriend's voice. As she stepped toward him she stepped on something slick, putting her off balance. She could feel herself falling backward, feel the cold liquid in her right hand cover the front of her body, feel the heat rush to her cheeks as everyone in close proximity stared at her with amusement. A high-pitched squeak ripped from her throat as she readied herself to hit the ground …

But instead of looking up at the ceiling, she was looking into Chase's concerned eyes, his cheeks just as flushed as hers was if not more. Her hand tightened around the empty glass in her hand, her cheese fries abandoned somewhere in close proximity. Panda opened her mouth to speak but couldn't form any coherent words.

Chase stared at her for a few moments before his eyes turned to something in front of him. She followed his gaze; Tyler was standing in front of the pair, Reid not to far behind him looking at Chase with narrowed eyes. Panda felt Tyler crush her against his chest despite her wet clothes and then rip her away, holding her at arms length to examine her.

"Are you alright?" There weren't enough questions.

Panda nodded her head almost furiously as her eyes darted around the room, the atmosphere slowly returning to normal. "I'm fine. Just extremely humiliated beyond all repair." She looked down at the empty glass in her hand, her chest tightening a little. "I brought this for you. I thought that maybe if I bribed with you with artificial goodness you'd dance with me?"

Tyler chuckled. "I'd love to, Panda …" she could feel a 'but' coming on. "But Reid and I are in the middle of a game. I promise after we're done, I'll come find you and then you can embarrass me all you want. Deal?"

Panda felt her heart sink but she continued to smile. "Deal." She replied as she scrunched up her face waiting for him to give her a kiss just like he always did. He enveloped her into a hug instead. She heard him thank Chase and before she knew it she was watching him and Reid play pool.

"Panda?"

"Yeah …" she didn't take her eyes off Tyler.

Chase discreetly took her hand. "Let's get back to the ta-"

"Will you dance with me?" Panda asked, her fingers tightly gripping his. A smile surfaced on her face and she was almost positive it was pathetic but she couldn't help it.

She could see Chase was fighting with himself. "I … don't think that's such a good idea." He started to tug her toward the direction they'd come in. "Let's go see what the other guy's are doing. Maybe Pogue's calmed down enough to hold a decent conversation. Who knows, I might actually like him now that he's stopped trying to melt the flesh off my-"

Panda's eyes were on the pool table, her body gravitating toward the group of arguing boys. She watched as Reid and Tyler dropped their poll cues, Aaron shoving the blonde in a confrontational manner. Reid shoved back, sending the curly haired boy back a few feet.

Panda pulled her hand out of Chase's. "Stay here." She ordered as she pushed her way through the small crowd that had gathered around them. But before she could reach Tyler and Reid, they were heading out the back door of the bar.

Panda followed closely behind the crowd. As soon as they were outside she stumbled toward Tyler, slowly inching toward him. She rested her hands against her boyfriend's back, a small squeak escaping her lips when Tyler spoke.

"He made the shot, dickhead!" he spat, coming up closely behind the scorching blonde.

Panda gripped onto his arm tightly, trying her best to pull him back. "Tyler, don't …" she pleaded as she continued to tug at his jacket sleeve. "Just let them-"

"What's the problem?" Caleb's voice rung out from the back door of his Nicky's, his dark eyes narrowed suspiciously at the group of teens gathered but a few strides from his frame.

"None of your business!" Aaron spat, pointing an accusing finger at Caleb as he swaggered almost menacingly in front of the blonde, his body language silently calling the four 'brothers' out despite the fact that he was obviously out numbered.

"He bet me I couldn't make a combo shot …" Reid said smugly, an arrogant smirk flirting with his lips as he glanced back at Caleb, his bright blue eyes twinkling mischievously in the dim light much to the dark haired boy's irritation. "And I did." He clucked his tongue and turned back to Aaron; the smug smirk adorning his face never wavering as he silently egged the curly haired boy on.

Panda sighed, stepping out from behind Tyler as she rammed her hands into the pockets of her skinny leg jeans and pulled out a small wad of bills. She was about to offer it to Aaron as payment for Reid when a loud grunting sound echoed out from behind them.

Nicky glared at the group of troublemaking teens. "Take it some place else, ladies!" the bald man threatened, a wooden baseball bat held firmly in his hand for extra effect. When no one made a move, he growled. "Now!"

Aaron shook his head, sucking his lower lip as he looked up at the massive bar tender with nothing but distain and arrogance. "Whatever you say, Nicky." He said as he and his lackey's and pushed past the sons of Ipswich, his shoulder roughly brushing against Caleb's as they made their way back into the bar.

Panda glared at their retreating forms until the disappeared behind the aged metal door before turning back to Caleb, a storm gathering in his dark brown eyes he stared heatedly at the flippant blonde.

"What were you thinking?" Caleb demanded with hard eyes though the tone of his voice insinuated something completely different, something raw and real, somethingPanda rarely ever got to see when it came to anyone but Reid.

"We were just playing them …" Reid said, an 'I don't know' shrug rolling off his shoulders.

"Yeah come on, Caleb, they were suckers for it." Tyler added, backing up his best friend as he tried to breeze past the oldest 'brother'.

"Don't encourage him, Tyler." Panda interjected, ramming her hands into the pocket of her leopard print cardigan as she spared the blonde haired boy a scarce glance. "Both of you should know better than to pull stunts like that in public. And don't give me that look, Reid. I might not have powers but that doesn't meant I don't know what I'm talking about."

"That's the thing, _Priscilla_, you don't, so why don't you just shut the fuck up for once! Every time I screw up you have to open that big fat mouth of yours and give your damn opinion. Well guess what, none of us give a damn what you have to say-"

"Oh, so what's why you're getting all defensive about it?"

Reid shrugged her off as he looked up at Caleb. "I'm not some kid you can boss around anymore, Caleb..." Reid stated getting in his face. "Stop being such a pussy…"

Reid grabbed Caleb's arm and Used to make himself stronger, the veins on the back of Caleb's hand angrily sticking out as a pain filled grunt escaped his lips. The blonde looked up at the older boy with pitch black eyes, all of his anger flowing from his fingertips into Caleb's body.

Panda, Tyler and Pogue stood back and watched with concerned eyes, unable to intervene in the battle of for dominance between in the two friends for fear of bodily harm or worse. Caleb choked out Reid's name in an attempt to warn the blonde but it seemed to fall on deaf ears and Reid onto squeeze harder.

In an instant, Caleb's eyes turned as black as night, a wave of power flowing from his hand into Reid's body sending him flying half way across the alley into the side of the building with a loud, angry thud. Panda winced at the sound the impact created and could only watch with helpless eyes as Caleb stepped forward threateningly.

"What will it take for you to get it?" he yelled, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "It's addictive, you moron! You've seen what it can do if you abuse it. You want that? That's your business, but if you Use in the open like you did tonight you risk exposing us all … and _that_ I wont let happen." Caleb assured.

Reid pulled himself to his feet, his head spinning tremendously from his encounter with the metal wall and it would be a scandalous to say he was anything but pissed off. He steadied himself, planting his feet firmly on the ground as he Used to levitate a nearby keg.

"Reid!" Panda snapped, about to make a move toward the blonde when Pogue settle a hand on her shoulder, preventing her from going anywhere without his permission. The petit girl exhaled deeply and continued to watch, the knots in her stomach tightening at the sight of her two best friends slowly eating themselves away from the inside out.

"My power's greater than yours!" Caleb announced, spreading his arms apart.

"Not until you Ascend!" Reid spat through clenched teeth.

"Alright, go for it, tough guy …" Caleb challenged, letting his arms fall limply to his side.

Reid growled fiercely at his cockiness and threw the keg at the taller boy, but before it could hit him Caleb's arms flew up and deflected the oncoming projectile. Before Reid could defend himself Caleb sent a wave of energy at him sending him into the large stack of bottles behind him. The bottles cried out at the force Reid's body had been repelled at, Panda and Tyler at his side the moment his lanky form touched the ground.

Caleb started towards Reid's battered form ready to finish what he started when Pogue wrapped his arms around him using everything ounce of strength he had to hold him back. "Stop it, this is crazy!" Pogue reasoned.

Panda looked up at Caleb, Reid's arm wrapped around her neck as she and Tyler tried to help the blonde to his feet. "It's over, Caleb, he's learned his lesson!" she yelled, steadying Reid on his feet.

Caleb glared at the dark haired girl. "It isn't over, Panda, it wont ever be over until Reid develops some common sense!" He turned his eyes to the blonde boy, his head lolling back and forth as he tried to focus his vision and stop the throbbing. "Keep using like you did tonight, like you did last night … when you Ascend you'll be as good as dead!"

Reid staggered out from behind the wall of alcohol with some help from Tyler and Panda. "So I fixed her car, big deal!" He chocked out as he fought to free himself from the grasp of his helper's to give Caleb what was coming to him.

Caleb struggled violently against Pogue in an attempt to return the favor. "Don't play me, Reid! I'm talking about later and you know it!"

"The Hell I do!" Reid yelled, pushing both Panda and Tyler aside as he pushed himself up into Caleb's face, his eyes radiating an intense feeling Caleb couldn't quite decipher. "I didn't Use _later_." He growled holding his gaze with the dark haired boy for a few seconds before pushing past him and Pogue in the rudest manner possible.

Tyler walked up to Caleb,Panda glued to the spot as she stared at the dark haired boy. "It's not right Using on each other, Caleb …" he said softly.

"Tell that to Reid." He said hoarsely, his hand running over his face though his eye contact with Panda never broke even as Tyler pushed past him and followed after the injured blonde.

Pogue watched at Tyler left and then turned his eyes to Panda, an angry expression slowly making his way onto her face. "You had no right to do that, Caleb." She said sternly, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"I was thinking about what was best for the rest of us if you didn't notice, Panda." Caleb snapped, glaring at the dark haired girl as though she'd just told him something extremely unfunny.

"You weren't doing what was best 'for the rest you', Caleb, that was just a classic example of let's see who's the got bigger gun and you know it!" she yelled, stomping her way over to him.

"He called me out-"

"-as usual! And as usual you rose to his bait!" She laughed dryly. "You know this is so ironic … you were just lecturing Reid about not Using, but you were Using on him to drill it into his head that he shouldn't. You said yourself it was addictive, what makes you any different from him?"

Caleb shook his head. "Don't use your psychology tricks on me, Harley, I'm not one of your freshman guinea pigs."

"Hey!" Sarah called softly, appearing in the threshold of the backdoor.

Panda rolled her eyes, the blonde haired girls timing impeccable. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'll see you around." She grumbled as she pushed past the two looming boys with a few long strides.

She rammed her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she neared the door, her eyes locking with Sarah's momentarily before she mumbled a quick greeting to the girl and pushed past her into the bar. A thick lump settled in her throat as she pushed past anyone and everyone that was in her way.

She was about to exit the small bar when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She inhaled deeply, ready to give whoever it was a piece of her mind when Chase came into view, his green eyes filled with concern as lifted her chin with his index finger and them.

"Hey," he said gently. "What's wrong?"

Panda shook her head out of his grasp. "Nothing," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm just a little tired that's all. I'm gonna go back to the dorms and turn in early."

Chase pierced his lips together, obviously not convinced at her sad attempt at a lie. "Come on," he said, wrapping his arms around hers before he led her out of the overcrowded bar. "I'll drive you home."

Panda pulled away, shaking her head slowly. "I … I just need to be alone right now." She looked up, Chase's eyes concerned. "It's not you, it's me. I just … Tyler and Reid left and I need to find them … alone. Everything's totally okay, I just … I said some stupid things that-"

"I understand."

Panda nodded, sending him the best appreciative smile she could. "Thanks, just … thanks. And …" she scratched the top of her head nervously. "I'm … I'm sorry."

Chase was confused. "For what?"

Panda shrugged. "I'm just … sorry."

The cool night air assaulted Panda's body without mercy, her arms immediately spring up from her sides and wrapped around her body as she prepared to make her way to her car. As she stepped off the curb, she couldn't help but notice a familiar green jacket as well as the body that went along with it.

"Tyler?" she called softly as she made he was over to the hunched over teen.

The blue eyed boy looked up, Panda's lips quirking as she dropped down beside him, her hands running up and down the length of her arms. "Hey." Tyler greeted, before turning his eyes back to the parking lot.

"Reid take the car?" Panda asked, noticing that his large black Hummer was missing. Tyler nodded but didn't elaborate. The dark haired girl nodded. "He sure can be a selfish, big-headed basturd sometimes …" Tyler didn't even flinch. Panda sighed. "I know you're mad at me for saying all that stuff back there … but … you don't … you cant even begin to understand how afraid I get when it comes to …" she felt her eyes sting and her throat start to tighten.

"What do you want me to say?" the blue eyed boy asked as he rested his elbows on his knees, peering at Panda through the corner of his eye. "We have this conversation _every time_ the five of us fight … there's nothing left _to_ say."

Panda stared at the blinking open sign across the street. "There's a lot to say, Tyler, you're just not thinking hard enough," she shifted on the cold ground. "I mean jumping off cliffs, fixing girls cars, messing with people's uvulas, trying to start fights, cheating … tell me that's come up in conversations before. Tell me I'm wrong for forcing Reid and Caleb to look in the mirror and smell the three hundred year old Covenant of Silence," she swallowed thickly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she struggled to keep her voice down. "I mean … sometimes … sometimes it feels like I'm the only one who takes this whole Using thing seriously … and I'm not even the one with the powers …" Panda felt Tyler's eyes settle on her. "… I'm only saying these things because I … I can't … I wont let any let any of you end up like-"

Tyler's cold hand covered her fidgeting warm ones. Panda looked down and then up into his cold nipped face. "You don't have to worry about that happening …" his voice was low, and soft as he spoke. "Reid, Caleb, Pogue … me … we're smart, we know when enough is enough. As for Reid … the only logical thing that comes to mind about his Using is that he's doing it while he's still able to. Once he Ascends-"

"But that's the thing …" Panda pulled her hand out from underneath Tyler's, her knees bouncing up and down in an effort to keep her legs warm. "Once he Ascends it isn't going to matter! If he's addicted before he Ascends that isn't going to change a damn thing! Reid isn't smart, he doesn't think with his head like the rest of-"

Panda didn't get a chance to finish. Tyler had reached over and attached his lips to her, cutting her off completely. She stopped fidgeting; her body slightly rigid as he cupped her cheeks and drew her closer. Struggling to stay sitting up, Panda gripped his elbows and kissed back though she was less than happy about their current situation. It almost felt degrading. He knew better than to pull something like this when she being serious.

Tyler pulled away, his forehead resting against hers. He was slightly out of breath. "The only person you need to worry about is you," he pressed a soft kiss against her non-responsive lips. "What do you say we high tail it to the nearest Ben and Jerry's? You can even pay this time."

Panda forced herself to smile, despite her anger at the change in conversation. "Sure. I'm up for that," she answered, watching as he stood up from the curb and dusted his pants off. He held his had out toward her. "Thanks."

Tyler pulled her off the ground and secured her small hand in his, his eyes scanning the parking lot for her tiny car. "Panda?"

The dark haired girl looked up. "Hmm?"

Tyler didn't respond, just smiled down at her, his eyes twinkling in the dim streetlights above their head. He leaned over and captured his lips with hers again, somehow making her chest tighten in a way she hadn't felt before. Their feet still moved over the cracked ash vault below as Tyler pulled away.

"Thanks."

----------------

Gimme More © Brittney Spears  
Lenore © Roman Dirge  
Fluorescent Adolescent © The Arctic Monkeys  
Sky Bison © Avatar  
Here In Your Arms © Hellogoodbye  
I Wanna Be Sedated © The Ramones


	3. Chapter 3

**---**

And there's a piece of me in every single  
Second of every single day  
But if it's true then tell me how it got this way

**---**

_**School Grounds, Spencer Academy …**_

Panda shoved her thick-rimmed glasses on her face as she stumbled in the front foyer of the housing complex, a long yawn escaping her lips as she scanned the surrounding area for a familiar face. When she realized that everyone had probably already left for the school buildings, she forced herself to make her way over there as well. 

When she reached school, she immediately made her way to her locker. First period spares were a blessing … if you remembered that you had them _and _remembered to sleep in. When Panda opened her locker, she found a steaming cup of Starbucks on the top shelve a long with a bar of Hershey's dark chocolate. 

"Panda!"

Panda turned her head in the direction of the eerily familiar face and before she knew it, she was face to face with an unnervingly happy Tyler. 

"What?" Tyler asked as she enveloped his girlfriend into a hug, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her slightly frizzy head. "No panther pounce? And here I was looking forward to it too."

"Too tired, Reid …" Panda grumbled into Tyler's chest. When she was satisfied with the amount of love she'd received, she pulled away, wiping a thin stream of drool hanging from her mouth. "What's got you so chirper this morning?" the dark haired asked as clumsily straightened out her uniform. "Did you take some of Reid's Prozac again?"

"No …" the brunette sighed. "Can't a boyfriend just be happy to see his girlfriend and not have a hidden agenda?"

Panda cocked an eyebrow. "Challenge and Change or Philosophy?" He hadn't done his homework again. 

Tyler chuckled nervously. "Both?" Panda whacked her boyfriend in the arm. "What was that for?"

"For being a User …" the dark haired girl blinked, a lazy smile creeping onto her face. "Hey …" she chuckled. "I just punned. But I'm still pretending to be mad at you. Were you and Reid playing video games all weekend again?"

"Would it make you feel better if I lied?"

Panda sighed, closing her eyes. "It's in my satchel. Just make sure you don't get caught. My ass is grass if G-man finds out. Pops will blow a huge ass gasket if he hears about this. It'll be eight grade all over again." When she opened her eyes Tyler was already holding her homework notes. He leaned over and planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Your welcome."

The bell signaling first period rang. He stuffed the notes into his messenger bag. "I gotta go," he said, giving her another kiss. "See you in Art, Panda bear." He was gone before she even blinked. 

Panda turned to her locker pulled her tattered copy of Shakespeare's King Lear out of her locker and settled it under her arm as she retrieved her steaming cup of Starbuck's and iPod from the top shelf of her locker. Using her foot to shut her locker, she turned around and bumped into something hard but very nice smelling. She looked up, her glasses slightly lopsided, into the captivating eyes of Chase Collins. 

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're following me …" Panda smiled. 

Chase's hands came up from his side, his warm fingers brushing against her cheekbones as he straightened her glasses, his hands lingering near her face a littler longer than was necessary. Panda forced herself to breath. "Good morning to you too, Panda."

The dark haired mocked bowed, her eyes never leaving his face. "A thousand apologies, your Highness," she smile melted into a grin as Chase chuckled. Panda leaned against her locker and slid down onto the cold linoleum floor. She peered up at him through thick lenses. "What are you doing straggling on the first day of school? Shouldn't be in the class with the rest of poor unfortunates who aren't privileged enough to have first period spare?"

Chase un-shouldered his back pack and took a seat beside her, leaning his head against one of the lockers. "Why aren't you in class?" he asked as he plucked Panda's Starbucks out of her hand and took a small swig. He scrunched up his face in what the bespectacled girl assumed was disgust before he proceeded to take another swig. 

Panda retrieved her King Lear from under his arm and dropped it into her lap, giving it a small pat. "I'm lucky enough to have first period spare so I thought I would get a head start on the class reading …" she reached over and retrieved her drink from Chase, her smile becoming cheeky as she sipped at the warm drink. Panda smacked her lips. "You still haven't told me why you're not in class."

Chase pulled one of his knees to his chest as he fiddled with his watchstrap. "I thought it was obvious," he looked up at her, his eyes crinkled into a smile. "I have first period spare, too." He lifted his hand and tapped the top of her head with his index finger. "Sometimes I wonder if there's actually anything up there …"

Panda looked down at her book as she fingered the bottom of her coffee cup. "So, what are you doing here?" she asked as she blew a stream of air toward her bangs. "There are about a thousand other hallways in the school you could be sitting in right now. I doubt this one was your first choice."

"There's no point in lying to you …" he sighed. "…I was worried about you." Panda looked over at him, slightly surprised. "I wanted to talk, see if everything's alright. Last night at Nicky's you seemed kind of spooked. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

The dark haired girl mustered a smile before she downed the rest of her drink. "It's nothing."

"I'm sure Heidegger would be wetting himself with that answer, but I'm not. If something's bothering you, Panda, bottling it up inside and burying it isn't going to make it go away."

Panda looked over at Chase, his eyes filled with concern. Her body tensed as she struggled with her brain. "I …" she bit down on her lower lip. "I barely know you, Chase. Not to say that you're not the nicest guy ever but … there's just some thing's I can't talk about. What happened last night is one of them." She forced the corners of her lips to tug; she'd come to an agreement with her brain on that one at least. "So, how are you finding Spencer? Well, you haven't started classes yet but I'm sure you've drawn a general conclusion about the-"

"I'm not asking you to give me a play by play, Panda," he was determined. "I just want a general idea of what's got you upset …" he paused, almost hesitant. "… is it Tyler? Did you guys have a fight? You seemed upset after he blew you off to play pool …"

Was it okay to talk to Chase about that? It had nothing to do with Using. It was a personal conflict between her and her boyfriend who happened to be Warlock. But Chase didn't need to know that. Was this the opening she'd been looking for? An outlet for her aggression and pent up frustrations without the presence of a referee or judge …

Panda sighed. "It is Tyler … I … he means well, you know? I just think he's been spending too much time around Reid lately."

Chase quirked an eyebrow as his eyes brightened with unmasked curiosity. "I'm not sure I follow …"

Panda shrugged. "I don't know …" she half whispered. "Tyler's always been socially awkward and doesn't really consider the whole picture when he says and does things. Being accepted is the biggest and only thing on his mind right now and somehow I don't fit into the grand scheme of things. His self consciousness forces him to fight a lot harder for the spotlight than most people and forces him to ha Last night at Nicky's was a perfect example of that."

"The dancing thing?" 

The dark haired girl shook her head. Why was this so easy? "Even before that … when I got to Nicky's we were having fun, him, Reid and I, but as soon as Aaron came into the picture it was like I didn't exist anymore. Tyler has something to prove to him therefore I get pushed to the sidelines. And then when we moved seats … he didn't even notice I was gone. When Kate leaves Pogue's line of sight he goes mental!"

"That's not always a good thing …"

"I know, but … and the coke and dancing thing! I totally embarrassed myself in front of everyone and all he wanted to know was if I was all right. I mean he wanted to know if I was 'all right'? What kind of thoughtless boyfriend asks if his girlfriend if all right after she nearly wipes out. He wasn't even the one to catch me! And on top of that, my shirt was wet, my pride was hurt and I was in need of some serious loving." Panda stopped, inhaling deeply. "When he told me to wait till he was done playing pool I felt like my heart just exploded in my chest. He couldn't even tell I was hurt by what he's said or upset by the fact that he was ignoring me …"

Chase looked over at her, that indiscernible, implacable emotion surfacing on his face one again. "I can't say I've been there, because I haven't, and I'm not going to say I know how you feel because I don't … but I can be there for you when you need me," he reached over with some uncertainty and gently placed his hand over hers, squeezing lightly for reassurance. "Why don't you just tell him how you feel instead of pretending like everything's okay? He seems like the kind of guy that would understand …" his eyes seemed to soften.

Panda swallowed. "I want to … I want to be able to honest with him without fear of being judged or misunderstood but I'm afraid …" she grasped Chase's hand with her free one and flipped it over, tracing the lines on his palms with her figures with a concentration that marveled him. "… I'm afraid that once I start I won't be able to stop and then I'll say something stupid and everything I worked so hard to keep will fall apart. I don't have the mental stability or the emotional range to handle something like that. Tyler … Caleb, Pogue and Reid, they're all I have … and when you cut one loose …"

"… the rest are sure follow …" Chase finished. He closed her fingers around Panda's hand, causing her to look up at him. "You want my advice?" she nodded. "Tell Tyler how you feel. Spill your guts to him and don't hold back. If he loves you like you he says he does, he'll understand and try to fix things but if he doesn't then you know it wasn't meant to be. And if Caleb and the rest of those guys are really your friends, they'll stick by you and see both you _and_ Tyler through the whole post break up mess."

"For a guy who's got no dating experience under his belt, your advice seems really thought through," Panda smiled, the first smile he'd seen since they started talking. "It won't happen over night …"

Chase chuckled. "I would be surprised if it did," at that moment the bell rang, signaling the end of first period. Students started filing into the once empty hallway. Immediately Chase felt Panda let go off his hand. "What do you have next?" he asked as he watched her gather her tattered novel and pull herself to her feet.

Panda opened her locker and tossed the playbook as well as her empty Starbuck's cup carelessly onto the slightly rusted floor. She retrieved her satchel and shut the metal cupboard before offering her hand to Chase. "Challenge and Change. You?"

Chase shouldered his bag as dusted off the back off his pants, cocking an amused eyebrow. "Do you even need to ask?"

≈

_**Hallway, Spencer Academy …**_

Panda cradled the thick textbook she'd been gifted with in Challenge and Change as she stepped through the threshold of her second period class, eager to make to her third. Chase had Data Management while she had Art; it shouldn't have bothered her as much as it did. She had Art with Tyler and Caleb next, she should be excited, but she couldn't help the guilty feeling that settled in her stomach at the thought of the pair. 

Panda was halfway to the Art hall when she felt a pair of smooth hands cover her eyes. She sighed. "Hello, Caleb."

"Damn," the brunette cursed as he lifted his hands off the dark haired girls eyes and fell into step beside her. "How do you always know it's me?" he asked as he straightened the black tie around his neck. 

"My Spidey-sense tingles," Caleb looked over at his, his face blank. She was sure she could get a lecherous remark out of him with that line … then again he wasn't Reid. "Woman's intuition?" she supplied, covering her tracks with a boring, obvious, logical substitute. 

"Ah," the brunette nodded. Panda rolled her eyes. "So … that new guy, Chase? He seems nice." Caleb didn't normally beat around the bush. 

Panda's arms tightened around her textbook. "Yeah … he's nice …" the dark haired girl answered slowly. She inhaled deeply and slowly let her breath out. "Why don't you just cut to the … why don't you just tell me what this is really about," Caleb looked down at her with an almost hurt look. She shook her head. "Caleb Danvers and shy don't belong in the same sentence let alone the same reality."

The dark haired teens arms reached up, his fingers lacing behind his neck as they continued down the hallway. "What are you doing?" 

"What do you mean?" Panda asked, slightly confused at his voice of conversation and the fact that he actually wanted to hold one with her. 

"With the new guy …" he supplied. "What are you doing with him, Panda?"

Panda looked up at Caleb with furrowed eyebrows. "I'm lost …" she half whispered. "Chase and I are just friends."

Caleb chuckled. "You'd have to be blind not to see the way he looks at you every time you come into his line of sight, he way he hovers around you in a crowd, how he only really talks to you … Panda, the guy likes you."

Panda laughed, nudging Caleb with her shoulder. "Come on, Caleb, be serious." She shook her head. "Chase is new here at Spencer. It's his last year. You know that by this time everyone in schools already formed their cliques and aren't willing to shift out of their comfort zones to start all over again. He's just nervous, you know, and holding onto the first person that gave him the time of day …" Panda looked down at her shoes, realization dawning on her. "This is about Tyler, isn't it?" 

"I'm just looking out for him."

"And in doing that you just _totally _made me feel bad about myself …" she heard him open his mouth. "I know you weren't trying to …" she interrupted. "… does it really look like that? Well what does that make me? If he is advancing on me am I'm not making any moves to stop him …"

"Panda?" 

Panda looked up at Caleb, her eyes wide and troubled. "Yeah?" she asked her breathing slightly haggard. 

"Calm down," he stopped, his hands on her shoulders as turned her toward him. He held her gaze. "No one's saying anything. I just want you to be careful around him, all right? He's a nice guy; I'm not going to deny that, but your relationship with Tyler isn't something I wouldn't mess around with. There are certain rules that go with being attached to someone. No one's saying you can't be friends with other people, especially other boys, just watch what you say and how you act. Language is something everyone interprets differently." 

Panda nodded, her eyes slowing receding back to their normal size as the corners of her lips tugged. "Thanks, Caleb," she muttered as turned her eyes to the floor. Images of last night's argument came to mine as silence nipped at air around them. "U-Um," she fumbled. "A-About last night … I …"

Caleb pulled her toward him in a warm hug. They didn't come around too often anymore. "Me too." Caleb must have caught sight of his watch because soon enough, he ejected himself from the hug. "We should get going to class if we don't want to be late." He smiled. 

Panda nodded and straightened out her white Oxford shirt and they broke out into a brisk walk down the long and seemingly never-ending hallway. She couldn't help the searing guilt that burned her stomach as Caleb started a conversation and she stuck herself on autopilot. There were too many thoughts racing through her heard, too many conflicted feelings to sort through to really give a damn about the type of chlorine they used in the school pools.

≈

_**Cafeteria, Spencer Academy …**_

"Okay. So I heard this totally hilarious joke from one of my peer tutoring kids. It's so funny! Okay, here goes," Panda inhaled a deep breath of air, trying to calm herself down. If she laughed the punch line of the joke would be ruined. "Okay. So, why did Tigger look inside in the toilet?" 

Sarah looked up from her Physics textbook. "I don't know … why?" she asked, her tone interested as she reached over a snagged a few carrots from Tyler's small zip lock bag of baby vegetables. 

"He was …" Panda snickered. "He was look … he was looking for … he was looking for …" Reid rolled his eyes as he leaned over the table and lightly smacked the back of Panda's head. "He was looking for Pooh! Thanks, Reid." The dark haired girl's face flushed a deep scarlet though she continued laughing though the rest of the table radiated confusion. 

"That was funny, Panda," Sarah assured with a forced laugh as she turned back to her Physic's textbook with pity in her eyes. "I can't believe I never heard that one before. You should join the comedy club. I hear they could use a good laugh." 

Panda smiled, her eyes glazing over with a hope that made Reid cringe. "Really? You think I'm funny?" she could see Tyler shaking his head violently through the corner of her eye. Panda turned him; he was pretending to roll his neck. "You don't think I'm funny?"

Tyler forced a chuckle. "Of course I think you're funny, Panda … it's just … you're _too_ funny, you know?" Panda quirked an eyebrow. "What I mean is … you've got too much talent. Comedians are just a bunch of sore losers who pick on other people who are better than them for sadistic pleasure and an insane amount of profit. If you outshine them …"

Realization dawned on the hazel-eyed girls face, her mouth forming a small 'o'. "I see …" she smiled as she leaned over and planted a loud kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for looking out for me." Tyler rubbed the spot where her lips had just been. Whether it was in embarrassment or rejection, Panda couldn't be sure.

Reid rolled his eyes, his feet finding their way onto their table as he leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers behind his neck. "Oh, please," the blonde grunted as he sent a pointed look in Tyler's direction. "You need a to grow a pair of your own, Baby Boy. Why do you-"

"Hey, Panda." The dark haired girl looked up and found Chase standing behind Reid, his hands wrapped around the strap of his backpack. The blonde glared up at him, less than happy about being interrupted. 

"Hn." Reid grouched.

"Chase." Tyler nodded.

"Chase, hey." Panda greeted, a small smile gracing her features. 

"Hey, Chase." Sarah greeted as well, sparing the tall teen a sparse glance before she turned back to her Physics, deep in concentration about Einstein's theory of relativity. 

"Guys," Chase acknowledged. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything …" he carried off with some uncertainty.

"Actually …" Reid piped up. 

"You weren't." Panda sent a pointed look in Reid's direction. The blonde narrowed his eyes at her, earning him an eye roll and vertical palm that immediately silenced any more protests. "We were just talking about how funny I am." She felt Tyler's hand find her free one under the table.

Chase nodded. "I see …" his brows furrowed slightly. "Where is everyone?" he asked as his eyes roamed over the empty looking table. 

Tyler shrugged. "They're around. Caleb's working on extra credit in the science lab, Kate's got journalism and Pogue's in auto shop with his bike. Go figure."

"This is where you come when you don't have a life," Panda said as she looked around the table. Three sets of eyes settled on their, their un-amusement at the situation evident in their blank but hard stares. "What? You guys don't like my funnies anymore?" 

"Do you really want me to dignify that with an answer?" Reid quipped. 

Before Panda could answer, Chase interjected. "Do you have a minute?" he asked, his eyes moving between Tyler and the dark haired girl. "I was wondering if you had a couple of minutes to …"

Panda smiled. "Sure," she said as she slowly pulled her hand out of Tyler's and slid out of her seat. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. His cheeks tinted a tickled pink. "Don't miss me too much."

"Don't worry. We wont."

"Reid!" Sarah snapped as she reached over and punched Reid in the shoulder. Panda watched the exchanged with amused eyes as Chase made his way over to hers, his eyes glued to the unfolding scene as well. 

"I love it when you beat me," Reid ran his tongue over his upper lip in a seductive matter. "Do it again."

Panda gripped onto Chase's elbow as they weaved through the crowd. She felt him shift toward her, an unintended electric current shooting from her arm all the way to her toes. She shuddered as they exited the cafeteria, brushing it off as incompatible body signals, and stopped outside the showcase of Spencer's most successful graduates. 

"So," the dark haired girl started. "What's up?" 

Chase rubbed the back of his neck as a bright yellow piece of paper materialized in his hand from his pants pocket. Panda took the paper, her eyes scanning its contents with mild interest. "This is for Data Management. It's …"

"It's a tutoring requisition form." She finished. She looked up at Chase with a small smile. "I know some really great tutors that would jump at the chance to help you," Panda started to fold the yellow sheet into squares. "Paul Kingston owns at Data Management; graphs practically fall at his feet. Get it?" She laughed, "And Abigail Turner. She's as cute as a-"

"I was actually wondering if you'd do it." Chase's eyes were hopeful as he reached out and plucked the requisition out of his hands. "Professor Montgomery said you got 98 in summer school so I was hoping you'd tutor me." Panda's smile slowly faded. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Math is the one thing I'm not good at and if I fail …"

"Chase, I …" The hopefulness in his eyes was too much to bear. He reached out and grasped her hand, giving it small squeeze. The proximity was mind numbing. Tyler didn't have to know. "I'm free Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's after school. We can meet in the library and then go from there."

Before Panda could react, Chase pulled her into a hug; their body's meshing together. Her body went into overdrive, her insides setting on fire as he tightened his arms around her. She could smell his aftershave, the scent of shampoo making her swoon. Without thinking, almost instinctively, she returned his hug with just as much effort. Tyler's hugs never made her want to embrace the world.

"Thank you," his lips touched her ears. "You don't know how much this means to me."

Panda nodded and tightened her arms around him. She gripped at the back of his blazer, the fabric bunching in her hands as though she never wanted to let go. She felt Chase sigh, felt him relax in her arms and suddenly everything was right. 

≈

_**Ancient Civilizations, Spencer Academy …**_

"I never knew rap could be so therapeutic …" Panda murmured as she slouched down in her seat and turned up the volume on Pogue's iPod, Get Low by T-Pain and Flow Rida pumping through her arms. She sighed as she made herself more comfortable, her eyes becoming half lidded. 

Pogue interlaced his fingers behind his neck and stretched his legs as he took in Professor Rupert's lecture on ancient Egypt. "Just don't tell Kate. I told her I stopped listening to it." Panda made whipping sound accompanied by a half assed hand gesture. Pogue snorted. "Like you're any different with Tyler."

Panda's eyes closed completely as she lightly bobbed her head. "I am. If I like something, I like it no matter what Tyler thinks about it. Sure he'll tease me about for a while but eventually he'll get used to it …"

"So that's why you haven't dyed your hair black yet?" 

Panda sighed. "I haven't dyed my hair black yet because I haven't found the right shade of black," she could feel Pogue's blank look. "Yes, I know that was one of those things that made more sense in my head. I just haven't had the urge to spin myself a cocoon. I'm content being a boring, brown haired caterpillar."

"Your analogies make absolutely no sense."

"I know that too."

Panda felt herself slowly slipping into unconsciousness as Get Low ended and Stronger took its place. Her muscles started to relax and Professor Rupert's low voice mixed with the song creating and awkward but enjoyable new song. 

"Have you spoken to Kate lately?"

Panda sighed, pulling herself out of unconsciousness. "I spoke to her last night at Nicky's …"

"Did she say anything …" Pogue asked trying to sound as casual as possible. "… about me … that Chase guy …"

Panda suddenly found herself treading on dangerous ground with no way of retreating. "I don't know … I wasn't really paying a lot of attention what with finding out that Tyler told everyone how much I weigh …" she reached out and blindly made a swipe for his leg, missing. "Which I might add is a secret you're going to take to your grave. Which reminds me that I still haven't killed him for that."

"Like Caleb said last night, we don't think any less of your because of it. Weighing-"

"SHH!" Panda hissed, her hand searching out Pogue's kneecap and squeezing it tightly. The longhaired teen flinched. "Don't say it out loud! You'll jinx me!"

Pogue chuckled as Panda lifted her hand off his knee and dropped it into her lap. "Jinx you?" he asked, amusement high in his voice. 

"Jinx me. I read somewhere, probably in a bathroom stall, that if your weight is said out loud it will double almost instantaneously. I feel like a beached whale, I don't exactly want to look like one too." Panda grumbled as she slouched down farther into her seat.

"You shouldn't believe everything you read." Pogue reached over and rested his hand on top of Panda's. He started to rub the top of her head. "Besides, I like beached whales."

"Tyler doesn't."

"Well Tyler is an idiot. He's probably been listening to Reid again." Panda craned one eye open and looked up at him. Pogue's eyes were focused on the front of the classroom though she knew his full attention was focused on her. She could always count on him. "I'll talk to him. And Panda?"

"Yeah?" 

"Next time you're having problems, I want you to come to _me_, alright? I know we don't exactly see eye to eye all the time but I consider you one of my best friends and-"

"I will." Panda interrupted as she reached up and placed her hand on top of the one he had on her head. A sudden feeling of guilt and something else clenched in her stomach she he sent her a small smile. Chase … 

≈

_**Hallway, Spencer Academy …**_

As soon as Ancient Civilizations ended, Panda and Pogue split ways. The dark haired girl maneuvered her way to her locker, conflicted about why she regretting meeting her boyfriend at her locker. When she reached the metal cupboard that housed a small percentage of her belongings, she saw Tyler leaning against it, two sets of Law textbooks piled in his arms. 

"Hey," she greeted, mustering a smile. "You're eager for Law today," she teased as she helped herself to one of the textbooks. "Does it have anything to do with the fact that Professor Port is wearing that scandalous red cashmere sweater? Because if it does, I call dibs on the front row."

"I need to talk to you …" Tyler said as he started making his way down the hallway. Panda didn't need to be a genius to figure out he wanted her to follow. "What are you doing?" 

Panda's brows furrowed. "That's the second time someone's asked me that today and this is second time I'm going to reply with 'I'm lost'. I mean I enjoy interrogations by hot mysterious men as much as the next hormonal teenage girl but this is overkill." Tyler pinned her with a pointed look. "I know. Be serious."

"I heard from a reliable source-"

"I'd hardly call Reid Garwin and/or his lays reliable."

"-that you were getting cosy with Chase Collins outside the cafeteria today at lunch. You know I'm not the jealous type, Panda bear, but if you're going to cheat on me at least have the decency to do it behind closed doors." Panda's cheeks flushed. "Not that you would cheat on me. Rumor has it. You know Reid, he gossips like an old woman."

Panda looked down at her shiny black shoes and forced the corners of her lips to tug. "He smells like one too."

Tyler smiled. "I've been meaning to introduce him to the shower …" he swallowed. "Listen … I'm glad you've found a friend in Chase Collins. I know they're hard to come by considering who you're dating and spend most of your free time with. I just want you to be able to keep your priorities in check. I'm not asking you to make me your world, that's selfish, I just … want to be a bigger part of it than him." He reached out and grasped her free hand, his face tinting a pale shade of red. "I know I've been acting like a complete jerk these past few weeks I just … you confuse me."

Panda's jaw slacked. 

"I'm used to being around Panda – my best friend since the third grade who I've never had to impress. This new Panda – the girl that makes my heart beat faster and slower at the same time is a whole other story. I know we've been dating for two years but it still feels so new. I can't be charming and suave like Reid, or smart like Caleb or dangerous and edgy like Pogue. All I can-"

Tyler dropped his textbook as Panda attached her lips to his, silencing him. He closed his eyes as she tossed her textbook aside wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him, kissing him for everything he was worth and more. People stopped and stared but Panda didn't care. She needed to re-connect, make him understand because her words would never get through to him. 

They'd been dating for four years, not two. 

Chase was more than her friend and her world was big enough for the both of them. 

He'd be dead if she made his heart beat faster and slower at the same time. 

She was hungry. Very hungry. 

And that pity she told him was lone gone … it was still there and going strong.

----------------

The Mixed Tape © Jack's Mannequin  
Heidegger © Himself – Read his theory on nothing. It's actually quite fascinating.  
Get Low © T-Pain featuring Flow Rida  
Stronger © Kanye West 


	4. Chapter 4

ooo

Well she said jealousy is something that distracts you  
I said it's hard to focus with your fingers in his belt loops  
Then there was that dream about you naked in the bathroom  
Telephone just rang, I heard you say I'll call you back soon

o

Are you working up to something  
But you give me almost nothing  
Keep me helpless up to something  
On my knees

ooo

_Library, Spencer Academy …_

Today was a Monday; she hadn't quite remembered that when she'd spoken to Chase at lunch. 

Panda sighed as she slouched in the furnished wooden chair, her arms folded over her chest as she stared at the library entrance. She was glad she could get away from Tyler for the moment; his heart to hearts tended to hurt her a lot more than they should. Every time he'd open his mouth and be honest with her it would prove the fact that he still knew absolutely nothing about her. It wasn't like he, she, intended for it to turn out that way … it just happened as much as they tried to fight against it. As they got older their interests changed and the small gap between them had become so big you needed an airplane to fly across just to say hello. 

She used to hate the fact that swim practice took up most of his time during the week … right now it couldn't be anything less than a blessing. Another sigh escaped her lips as she sunk even lower into the chair. She would still have to meet him in front of the school after practice was over; traditional pig out after all his hard work. 

"Panda?" 

Panda jerked at the sound of Chase's voice. She immediately straightened out in her seat, a small smile flirting with her lips. She looked up into his slightly concerned green eyes and felt her chest tighten for reasons she didn't quite want to come to terms with yet. 

"Hey, boo …" she greeted, using her foot to kick out the chair across from her. "Have a seat."

"Thanks," Chase returned her smile with one of his own. "Were you waiting long? Professor Grimly went into overtime with his lecture about the Renaissance … and how we should date people our own age. I'm sensing a little tension between him and his girlfriend half his age. Wonder if his wife knows."

Panda flipped open her notebook and leaned back in his seat. "Are you kidding? She's the one that introduced him. Apparently she doesn't want to give it up so … and I'm going to stop talking about old folk and their sex drives before we both feel the urge to break our ear drums …" she gave a small laugh, watching as Chase nodded his head and retrieved his textbook and notebook. "So …" Panda started with yet another sigh. "What's tripping you out?"

Chase shrugged. "Well, basically, all we did was review so far. I owned at it …" his face tinted pink as he fiddled with the top of his notebook. "… considering this is the third time I'm taking this course …" Panda didn't even flinch. "It's okay to laugh, yell, mock anything … just don't sit there and be okay with it. I know I'm an idiot …"

Almost instinctively, Panda reached over and placed her hand over him, his smile taking on an understanding tone. "Why would I laugh?" she asked, shaking her head. "I'm so proud of you. You decided that finally it was time to punch that manly pride you have so much of in the face and ask for help. I'm glad you came to me and trusted me enough to be so honest …"

Chase ceased his fiddling. "You know what this means, right?" he looked up. "I just wasted who knows how many minutes of your life you'll never get back. But I'm prepared to make up for it …"

Panda lifted her hand of Chase's and folded it neatly on the table as she cocked her head to the side, an almost teasing expression lighting her features. "And how do you propose to do that? You know I like Donatello's but I'm having him for dinner tonight … not in the literal sense, of course … cannibalism is so 1960."

Chase chuckled. "I thought you'd say something like that …" he gathered his books and stuffed them back into his backpack only to retrieve something else. He slid a thin black, gift-wrapped rectangle toward her. Panda looked up. "Open it." 

Panda swallowed as she looked down at the gift. "Chase …" she shook her head. "I can't accept this … you already paid for enough food to feed a third world country … I …"

"Please …?"

His eyes were smouldering. Her head started to spin, her throat dry as she nodded and pulled the badly wrapped gift toward her. Trying her best she unwrap it without destroying the weapon littered wrapping paper, her eyes widened as it's contents because known to her. "Oh my … oh … this is … I can't believe you … Chase …" 

Chase looked a little uneasy as her eyes started to well up. "Does your speechlessness mean you like it?" he watched her bottom lip tremble as she ran her fingers over the unopened DVD package. "Panda … come on … don't cry. If I knew it would make you this upset I wouldn't have gotten-"

Before he could finish, Panda practically threw herself across the table and pulled him into his hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing herself closer to him. She didn't care that her skirt had started ridding up or that she'd broken a few buttons on her shirt by being so forward and unorthodox. 

Her fingers tightened around the special edition copy of Planet Terror in her hand as she felt his lips whisper against her neck. "This is the nicest thing anyone's ever gotten me …" she murmured as she pulled back and rested her forehead against his. "How did you know I wanted it?"

Chase shrugged as he held her gaze. "Lucky guess."

Panda found herself grinning. "Very lucky …" she broke his hold on her. "… do you … maybe want to come over after Tyler's done swim practice and watch it with me? I've got loads of candy and coke and any other junk food you might be craving for?"

Chase nodded. "I'd like that …" his voice was low, husky even. 

"Okay …"

Panda's Room, Spencer Academy …

Tyler's hand tightened around Panda's as they neared her dorm room. "… and I then I told him that he was a walrus. You should have seen the way his cute little moustache wiggled when he wrinkled his nose. He thought I was insulting him! Can you believe that? I mean, really. Walrus' are like the cutest animals on the planet! That Woody Woodpecker guy … what's his face was a total stud muffin! I'd tap that …" she sighed as she looked up at him, a crooked grin marring her lips as she shook their hands. "You haven't said anything since we left the gym. If I'm talking too much you're more than welcome to tell me to put a sock in it. G-dad and Pops tell me to stuff it all the time."

Tyler chuckled and looked over at her, his cheeks tinting just a little. "I like when you ramble about nothing … it's cute," he leaned down and rested his forehead against hers, his nose brushing hers as his lips moved frightening close to her mouth. "Why did you stop?" 

Panda swallowed, a haze of smoke clouding her thoughts as she held his gaze. "You know I cant think when you try to seduce me …" she sighed as he pressed his lips to hers in a short lived kiss before he returned to his former position, an almost impish smile flirting with his lips. "… hmm … that's not fair …"

"I'm sure it's not … but when have you ever known me to be fair when it comes to you?" Tyler stopped walking and pressed his back against a chipped, familiar looking door. He pulled Panda against him with a soft sigh. "I've missed you …"

Panda slid her arms inside his open black sweater and encircled his waist as she rested her head against his chest. She tilted her head back enough to see his face. "I … didn't go anywhere …"

"It didn't feel that way …" he looked down at her, his blue eyes glazing over with an indescribable emotion she'd only seen on his face once. "I've been thinking … what do you say we go on a date? Just the two of us. This Friday. We can drive out to the city and get something to eat, maybe catch a movie, even go for a moonlit stroll …"

Panda's lips spread into a smile as she pushed herself onto her tiptoes and kissed his smooth chin. He hated taking walks at night … ever since summer camp all those years ago. "I'd like that," she half whispered as she pressed another kiss to the underside of his chin, her heels slowly finding the floor. "You still taste like chlorine … I like it too …" another kiss found it's way to the column of his neck.

She felt Tyler swallow … hard. His body seem to tense, an imaginary barrier slowly forming between him. "I … Panda …" Panda looked up to find his eyes smouldering. "I … have a ton of chemistry homework to do."

Panda knew she'd pushed her luck. Things always seemed to take an awkward toll whenever she'd try to become intimate with him on more than an emotional level. She wasn't interested in sleeping with him, much to Reid's displeasure, but that wasn't the impression he got every time she got a little too close for comfort. 

She sighed, her arms becoming limp as they fell back into place. "All right …" she breathed as she pushed herself off him forcing a smile to let him know that he hadn't offended her. She adjusted the strap of her satchel, watching as he straightened out his clothes and hair. "Make sure you do the rest of your homework too, boo. It's a shame we don't have all the same classes this year, eh?"

Tyler nodded with a roll of his eyes. "It's a good thing you're cute, smartass," he took a step forward and closed the space between them. "Thanks for letting me walk you to your dorm, I know how much you hate it. And thanks for lending me the homework; I snuck it into your locker after school. And-"

Panda pushed herself on her tiptoes and planted one final kiss on Tyler's lips. She pulled away smiling. "Stop sucking up and get that fine, sweet bum packing. I don't want Reid harassing me tomorrow because you didn't you didn't get around to doing his homework."

Tyler chuckle and kissed her forehead before he started walking down the hall. He turned on his heel, moving backwards as Panda turned to look at him. "Just remember: Friday. Don't make any plans … and cancel any if you did!"

Panda sent an airborne kiss in his direction and waved, watching with sad eyes as he turned around and continued down the hallway, eventually leaving her line of sight. The thought of Friday seemed almost dreadful now that she thought about it. She'd never been comfortable with the whole 'dating' concept. Conversation became awkward for some God awful reason and her brain would automatically set on auto pilot; nodding at the appropriate times, smiling whenever he looked over at her, bring up the inevitable weather chatter when things became boring …

When did dating Tyler become a chore?

ooooooooooooooooo

_**Chase's Room, Spencer Academy …**_

Panda stood outside dorm room 302, her brows furrowed with confusion as she peered intently at the imperfections gracing the doors aged face. She'd been standing outside Chase's dorm room for forty-five minutes, unsure what she was doing there. After Tyler had left she'd decided to take a walk and somehow ended up there. She sighed, her teeth clamping down on her lower lip as her hand slipped out of her pocket and balled into a fist, ready to know. If she here, there must be a good reason for it. He was coming over later but …

Her knuckles were about to make contact with the door when it opened. Chase stood in the doorway, slightly flushed. "Panda?" 

The dark haired girl smiled uneasily. "Hey, boo." She greeted with a shrug. "Busy?" she asked with a small chuckle. 

Chase swallowed thickly and shook his head, his lips stretching into a smile as he stepped aside and allowed her entrance. "No. Please come in." 

Panda nodded as she stepped passed Chase into his room. Like he had done the first time, her eyes took in her familiar but not surroundings. The walls were covered with posters of bands she only wished Tyler listened to. Chase's bed was actually made and not covered with textbooks and other unmentionables. The room smelled like aftershave; he's probably just showered. He had a desk in the corner of the room, a collection of movies that would put her movie buff boyfriend to shame peeking beside it. 

"Is something wrong?" Chase's voice broke her from her trance. She turned to look at him, his back braced against the door just like Tyler's had been a good almost hour ago. 

Panda shook her head and took a seat at the edge of Chase's creaseless bed. "No … I was just … I don't know what I was just but I'm definitely just … whatever that's supposed to mean." Chase quirked an eyebrow. "That's a big ten-four, good buddy."

"You want to talk about it?" the dark haired boy asked, his arms disappearing behind his back as he cocked his head to the side. "I've got nothing but time."

Panda shook her head. "That's the thing … I want to talk about it … but … I feel like since we've met all I've done is dump my problems on you like you're some sort of … I don't know, some sort of thing that gets dumped on! This is so frustrating! I can't even be witty anymore!" Panda sighed, her shoulders slumping as she arms fell between her legs. "Tyler is taking me out on Friday and I'm not sure if I want to go."

"Isn't this what you wanted, though? For him to pay attention to you?" Chase frowned.

Panda groaned. "That's the thing. In a normal reality where things make sense, people go on dates to get closer to one another and figure each other out. In the horrible reality where Tyler and I exist, we go on dates to make complete idiots of ourselves. Things become so awkward … let's put it this way: I'd rather shoot myself in the foot." The dark haired girl shook her head, her eyes focusing on the ceiling. "I'm not even sure he sees me sometimes … I mean he sees me; outgoing, dishonest, stupid me … but he has no idea what I really look like …" she swallowed thickly, her eyes glazing over with a thin sheen of tears. "I bet that if you went up to him right now and asked him what colour my eyes were, he wouldn't know …"

"Your eyes are hazel with little flecks of violet around the rims …" 

Panda's sighed. "That's exactly what I mean. If you can remember what colour my eyes are, why cant he? I feel numb … I feel … sad … do you know what really bugs me the most?" she was starting to yell. "I can't even get close to him without him thinking that I want sex! Plant a few sexy ones on a guy and automatically he thinks you want to spank his monkey! Why can't he see that I'm unhappy? Why can't he figure out what I want without me having to open my big, fat gob? Why can't he be more like-"

Panda didn't get a chance to finish. Chase had somehow made his way across the room and attached his lips to hers. Her eyes flew shut, as he cupped her cheeks and deepened the kiss, her arms hooking under his arms, pulling him closer. She moaned as he tried to push her back onto his bed, her legs finding their way around his waist. His lips were just as desperate as hers, his movements just as forward … why did this feel so right?

ooo

Belt loops © The Films – Chase  
Fucking Boyfriend © The Bird and the Bee - Panda  
Planet Terror © 


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chase's Room, Spencer Academy …_**

Panda slipped her t-shirt over her head. She sniffed as she peered intently at the door; it was though it would disappear at any given moment leaving her trapped in a reality that made no sense. Her eyes scanned the room for any sign of her pants; they were lying on top of the T.V hallways across the room. She padded toward it and slipped them on just as the bathroom door opened.

She could feel Chase's eyes on her as she snapped an elastic on her wrist and pulled her hair into a high, messy ponytail. "Keeping quiet about it now is only going to make talking about it later a lot more painful than it should be …" Panda turned on her heel, her eyes trained on the floor as she found her socks and sweater, strategically pulling them on. "Panda …"

"What would you like me to say, Chase?" she asked as she zipped up her hoody with a shrug. "Thanks for making it easy for me to cheat on my boyfriend? Thanks for taking my virginity? Thanks for opening my eyes to all the possibilities that wont ever me in my reach?" Panda scratched the back of her neck. "I … I can't. I'm … I'm sorry. I was looking for a friend and I found a lover instead and that's just not what I hoping for so if you'll give a refund on all my _wasted_ time … I'm finished."

Chase stood there, slightly rigid. His eyes were glazed over with a disbelief that was almost heartbreaking. "So you're just going to run away from _this_? You're going to pretend like it never happened? Like the feelings aren't there?"

"That was the plan." Panda opened her mouth as if to argue but quickly shut it, biting down on the inside of her cheek instead as she plucked her shoe off the bed and bent over to retrieve her other one off the floor. "I think that the best and easiest thing for you to do right now is to get over it and move one. You need to face the facts: we aren't friends … I don't … I don't think we ever were."

Panda turned and made her way to the door. She reached for the handle with unsteady hands, her fingers hovering over the shiny gold knob. She could see Chase in its reflective surface; the firm set of his haw, his forced breathing, his clenched fists.

She swallowed, closing her eyes. It wasn't right to leave like this. "Do you know what my heart is doing right now?"

"Turning to stone?" Chase offered.

"It's bre-eak-ing …" her voice creaking, warm tears streaming down her cheeks onto his floor. "You know people say when they're in love the ground falls away beneath their feet … when I dumped my fish tank on you … it was like realizing the ground was there for the first time. But I shouldn't be feeling this way-"

Before Panda could finish she felt Chase's arms around her, felt him turn her around and crash her toward him, his lips finding hers. "Then shut up," he murmured against them.

Instinctively Panda threw her arms his neck, pressing herself as close to him as humanly possible. Chase pressed one against the small of her back keeping her trapped, the other cupping her cheek as he parted her lips. Panda felt every doubtful thought about what she'd done dissipate from her head as he nipped at her bottom lip, the hand on her back slipping under her shirt, the hand on her cheek doing the same. Chase pulled back, just a little, and caught her gaze. She couldn't help but lean forward and search out what was rightfully hers.

"Melodrama doesn't suit you …" he murmured huskily, his hand slowly teasing her sweater zipper down. "Do you want to be with me?" he slid her sweater off, the garment pooling around her feet. Panda nodded almost numbly as he took a step forward, her back finding the door. "That's all you had to say …" he whispered.

Panda rested her hands on top of his, a small smile surfacing on her face. Chase leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, his hands finding their way to her behind, sliding over it, before he gripped her thighs and lifted her off the ground. Panda wrapped her legs around his waist as she kissed him back; his lips were demanding and fierce but she had no problem keeping up even as he carried her to the bed for round two.

ooooooo

Just so you guys know ... I'm not dead. Well ... I could be a zombie ... that still means I'm not dead right?


End file.
